Au pair in Switzerland
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You can work as an au pair in Switzerland for a maximum of 18 months. You will receive room and board with a host family in exchange for approximately 30 to 40 hours of weekly work (housework, baby-sitting, etc.). You have the right to one day off per week (at least one Sunday a month) and 4 weeks’ vacation per year (5 weeks if you are less than 20 years old). You will be paid at least 700 Swiss francs net per month (this may be more, depending on the canton). Your employer is also obliged to enroll you in a language school. Employers pay your health and accident insurance, as well as your language courses, although they can deduct up to 10% of your salary to cover the costs. Since this type of work is considered a profit-earning activity, you are subject to Swiss tax deducted at source and must definitely obtain a type L work permit. This type of permit is actually quite limited since each canton has the right to distribute a set number of permits per year.
If you already know a family that is willing to host you, you can ask them to request a permit from their canton's Department of Economic Affairs, who will explain the procedures they need to follow. From experience, we can attest to the fact that it is not easy to obtain this type of permit and that it pays to be persistent. If you don’t know anyone in Switzerland, you can contact one of the many au pair agencies that operate there.
Some Swiss Web sites also list small ads from families seeking au pairs without going through an agency, such as
the excellent service Lausanne-Famille.
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